Sound Salvation Army

It seems like every punk in the world is setting aside their power chords and picking up an acoustic guitar these days. I have to say, it’s getting a bit tired.

Too often there’s some kind of affectation to it, like the only kind of non-punk music punks feel comfortable playing is something akin to old outlaw country: songs about booze, bottles, women, and hard times. Fun at first you guys, but you’ll never be as good as Drag The River so why bother trying (Greg Graffin of Bad Religion being one of the worst purveyors of warmed-over country and Americana on albums so bad even the Weakerthans couldn’t save them)?

Chris Wollard’s solo work has proven much more satisfying to me, an example of what can happen when a truly gifted musician follows whatever muse captures him. While the first solo track he put out was acoustic it had much more of a straightforward rock or pop feel. His surprisingly flawless debut full-length, recorded with his band The Ship Thieves, spanned a ridiculous amount of rock niches from 90’s alternative to power pop to sensitive ballad.

No one would ever mistake Wollard’s previous full-time gig in Hot Water Music as immature, so it sounds not-quite-accurate to call his solo/Ship Thieves work more mature. It’s a different kind of mature, with tracks on the self-titled LP carrying a decidedly grown-up tone. “All The Same” is about a couple who fall asleep on the couch watching a movie, foregoing a night out for a night of rest. “Oh, Whatever” sounds like an apathetic anthem on the surface but it’s informed by enough age and experience to feel genuine and reasoned in its misanthropy. “Hey B” resonates with the endless weariness that only decades on the road can create.

Which brings us to Wollard and the Ship Thieves 2010 release, an untitled 7″ with two songs that showcase how much further the band has moved ahead of that first album. Both songs are considerably more up-tempo; A-side cut “Anybody Else” is the most rocking song they’ve committed to tape yet. The song has an insistent, bouncy bass line and a simple pop-rock guitar chord progression that doesn’t even bother to try taking center-stage. The constant snare strikes push the song along with every beat and you can see the smile on Wollard’s face despite his consistently-gruff singing.

“Left To Lose” is slightly reminiscent to the LP’s “You Always Leave,” thanks to it’s brushed-snare drumbeat, vaguely recalling country the latter’s country leanings. Wollard’s acoustic guitar, world’s away from the damaged back-porch sound of he and fellow HWM frontman Chuck Ragan’s Rumbleseat recordings, takes the lead once again with a bright set of open chords and a sprightly-picked lead. The catchy chorus may be short on words but it’s long on hooks, the falsetto sections bringing Wollard closer to genuine crooning than he’s come before.

It’s clear Wollard and the band have come into their own as a cohesive unit, operating under a hive mind that is producing songs that are as dense, brief, and catchy as possible. The body of work he’s released under his own name is definitely more full-realized than The Draft, the band he formed after HWM’s collapse with HWM’s bassist and drummer. That project seemed like it was still aiming for HWM territory but was unable to reconcile the fact that that previous outlet simply didn’t exist anymore, that the dynamic had shifted. This 7″ may only be two songs that end far too quickly but it’s enough to make it clear that this band is a living, breathing entity, that is fully realized and has its best work ahead of it.

Oh yeah…and then there’s this thing.

Or more specifically these things. It was a busy year for Hot Water Music, just like it was for Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves. His reunited band continued to play gigs all over the world and No Idea Records, HWM’s long-time home, continued to issue new volumes in their Live In Chicago 7″ series. We’re up to four now and it’s a magnificent collection, especially for die-hard fans like me who haven’t yet been able to find their way to one of those shows.

Captured at a reunion date at Chicago’s legendary Metro theatre, each record contains four songs from what was a speedy, lively, and furious set. Some of the records are mostly old songs, some are split, some have mostly new songs, but all see the band firing on all cylinders and not missing a single intricate note.

The packaging is terrific. Each record is on its own colour of vinyl, corresponding with the coloured insert in the record, and the covers are die-cut with the band’s classic logo.

Just for fun, here’s a few of those tracks for fans like me. I’ve been lucky enough to be on top of the order rushes when they go on sale, but each of the four volumes is now completely sold out. Var, No Idea’s mastermind, has indicated that we’ll get up to at least six chapters so make sure you keep your eye peeled.

 

 Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves - Left To Lose [2:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves - The Same To You: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - It's Hard To Know (live at the Metro) [3:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - Rooftops (live at the Metro) [2:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - A Flight and A Crash [2:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - Alachua (live at the Metro) [3:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can get the second pressing of the Anybody Else 7″ from Sound Study Recordings in their web store. It’s a limited run of 500! On lavender vinyl! The always-amazing No Idea Records also has them for sale in their distro catalog. No digital for this little number, but iTunes has the eponymous LP.

Pat entries 7" singles, Best of, Best of 2010, Chris Wollard, Chris Wollard and the Ship Theives, Hot Water Music, indie rock, live music, No Idea Records, pop rock, reunings, rock

I teared up a little this morning listening to Hot Water Music. It wasn’t the first time.

Since seeing them at Warped Tour in 1999 I’ve had a deep connection with this band and the unwavering passion with which they create music. It reached a head in 2003 when they released what I consider one of my favourite albums of all-time, Caution. While fans of the band are often deeply divided between their older, more intricate and challenging records and the more immediate, hooky, perhaps even poppy Epitaph-era output I celebrate their entire catalog (that might be evident in the amount of times I have referenced them on this site in the past).

They’ve been dormant for years now, at least as far as recorded output goes. After a while on hiatus they reformed to start performing reunion shows all over the U.S. and Europe. I think they’ve stopped in Toronto or Montreal at one point, but that doesn’t really fit into my budget.

I’m still working on a means to procure a physical copy of this baby, but they also put out a very limited Record Store Day exclusive 7″ single with four live tracks recorded in Chicago at the vaunted Metro Theatre. Thank Al Gore for the internets, because it only took a couple of days for the tracks (which sound entirely digital, not like a vinyl rip at all) to hit the interweb. And I couldn’t be more excited that they have.

From the intro to the first track I was transported back to Winnipeg’s Pyramid Lounge in 2004. HWM was touring with the Bouncing Souls on the punnily-titled “True Bromance” tour (I’m pretty sure they invented that phrase) and I was frothing at the chance to finally see them again. Caution had, in the six months since its release, become one of my most beloved recordings ever. It’s urgency, emotional depth, and message of perseverance and prospering in the face of immense challenges all resonated with where I was in my life then. Seeing their furious live show only cemented that adoration. I wept just a little bit that night, possibly more than once, perched directly in front of Chuck Ragan as he and the band growled their way through a set that still stands as one of the greatest I’ve ever witnessed.

The brief collection of live cuts on this 7″ single are absolutely representative of that experience. The performances are virtually flawless, the energy is infectious, and the vocals are unrelenting. The song selection is brilliant as well. With only a few minutes to relay that experience I don’t think you could ask for more appropriate songs.

That passion is something I’m hoping to witness again. Despite the very shaky financial ground I find myself on these days, I fully intend on heading to Calgary in a couple of months to take in the Sled Island Festival. I’ll admit Sled Island hasn’t really been on my radar before but with a line up like they have booked this year I would be kicking myself for years to come if I missed it. And it isn’t because personal favourites like Austin Lucas, Les Savy Fav, the Thermals, Fucked Up, Ted Leo, the Bronx (and Mariachi el Bronx), Why?, Greg MacPherson, Nomeansno, Northcote, Bison BC, Chuck Ragan, and more are included. It’s because fucking Hot Water Music is one of the headliners.

So it should be the summer of road trips and sweet jams, hopefully for this reason and many more. Feel free to donate gas money!

 

 Hot Water Music - Trusty Chords (Live in Chicago) [2:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Buy every fucking thing you see here: No Idea Records’ HWM site. In honour of Record Store Day no digital links will be provided. That works, right?

Pat entries festivals, happenings, Hot Water Music, live music, punk rock, road trips, Sled Island

Chuck Ragan was in one of my favourite bands ever, Hot Water Music. Like a lot of other people in the punk and indie worlds, he recently decided to start making acoustic music. Unlike a lot of other artists, it isn’t contrived country, ridiculous roots, or feeble folk. Chuck is doing what Chuck has always done: make incredibly honest and heartfelt music within the best of his abilities.

The trouble is punk rock barre chords don’t always translate that well. Some people criticized Chuck’s 7” single series (essentially demo recordings of songs for future release) for being nothing more than vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar. That problem has been rectified on his studio album, Feast or Famine, by adding plenty of extra instrumentation, guest players, and other vocalists.

The songs centre around family, passion, love, and Chuck’s never-wavering belief in a higher power (but don’t let that deter you). I’ve read interviews where he talks about his days in white supremacist groups and his road to reformation; songs like “God Deciding” from the HWM days, “Open Up and Wail,” and “the Grove” all reflect his sense of humanity and the preservation and preciousness of life. “For Broken Ears” is a treatise against the Iraq war, and “the Boat” is a sort of meditation on life through the eyes of a fisherman (or a boating enthusiast, I suppose). He also offers the definitive take on “California Burritos,” a standout track from the back-porch country act he created with a former HWM pal, Rumbleseat.

Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) and Anti- recording artist Jolie Holland offer great harmonies and backing vocals to several songs, some included below. Check them out – and witness one of the most inspiring musicians working today.

 

 Chuck Ragan - Open Up & Wail [2:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chuck Ragan - Do You Pray? [3:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chuck Ragan - California Burritos [2:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mr. Ragan’s music is quite available:
iTunes: Carries the live and studio albums
Side One Dummy: has the cd versions.
No Idea Records: handles vinyl releases.

Pat entries acoustic, Chuck Ragan, Hot Water Music, punk rock, roots

Sometimes an unexpected surprise is the nicest thing in the world.

A while back Virgil at Vinyl Collective was hosting a pre-order for a 7” single put out by Asian Man Records: a split between Gunmoll frontman Mike Hale and Chris Wollard, singer, songwriter, and guitarist for both the Draft/Hot Water Music (and Blacktop Cadence, Rumbleseat, etc). Hot Water Music is one of my favourite punk rock/hardcore bands ever. Gunmoll is sort of the other side of that coin, playing similar music with parallel gruff and shouty vocals over aggressive but melodic four-chord punk.

Since HWM broke up, I’ve intensely followed the new projects by its principle members, which led me to order this 7”. Fast forward to it arriving at my door.

Expecting great things from the Wollard side, I was surprised to find the first song somewhat mediocre and the second song great, but somewhat poorly mixed. I nearly put the record back in the sleeve to gather dust on a shelf before I remembered the other side…but I flipped it over and dropped the needle.

The songs that came out totally floored me. Impeccably recorded, clear, warm acoustic numbers that heavily reflect an obvious Elliott Smith influence and a sound that also mirrors performers like David Gray and Tom McRae. The acoustic intro to lead track “Easy Come, Easy Go” reminds me of the beginning of “Little Plastic Castles,” by Ani DiFranco for just a moment before taking an incredibly somber left turn. The lyrics concern a man resigned to the end of a relationship and trying to steel himself for what comes next, backed by a subtle guitar figure and melancholy cello accompaniment courtesy of Bad Astronaut’s Angus Cooke. Not groundbreaking stuff, but a very capable (and not at all gruff) vocal performance really sells the downtrodden melody and combined with the lyrics it brings the whole package this close to breaking your goddamn heart.

We all know there are WAY too many punk and indie rockers going the acoustic/roots/country/folk route. But where Greg Graffin falls on his face trying to ape Johnny Cash, Hale manages to come across as the real deal in just two too-short songs. I cannot wait until this man records a proper LP (coming ’sometime in 2008,’ according to the Asian Man site).

It’s just a shame I can’t share this with you – unless you come over to my house, that is. Asian Man has no plans to do a digital or CD release of this single. In the meantime, here are some demos of Mr. Hale’s that I procured in a totally legal way.

 

 Mike Hale - Look Where I Been [2:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Mike Hale - Leatherface Fan [2:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can pre-order your copy of the second press of the Mike Hale/Chris Wollard split — on hot pink, no less — from:
Asian Man Records: The label proper
Vinyl Collective: Cheap shipping and lots of selection!
Check out Mike’s myspace page if you’re into that sort of thing.

Pat entries acoustic, Chris Wollard, Gunmoll, Hot Water Music, Mike Hale, solo

Listening to the radio today in Canada is a horrible, cloying pastiche of the same sub-mediocre bands with mass-market appeal having their numerous “hits” played several times a day to placate the CRTC’s CanCon regulations. Surprisingly though, there’s no swelling tide of revolt in independent music. You may notice over the course of this mix tape that there are no Canadian artists; that’s not to say that there are NO Canadian groups that have written songs deriding the practice of commercial radio, but I think artists here have less of an activist bent on this one. Independent and major label bands alike here seem a little more willing to let the suits do what they need to while they eke out a modest means however they can. I personally haven’t turned on commercial radio on purpose since I was eight — but what are your thoughts? Comment below!

Of course, the Sound Salvation Army radio programme is anything but — check us out on Thursday nights from 8-10:00pm (Saskatchewan, Canada time) on 91.3fm CJTR. Streaming audio via www.cjtr.ca.

While our mix tape may not be totally representative of our home and native land, I assure you forthcoming posts will have Canucks well-represented. For now though, we’re rallying against the man with the most representative songs I could come up with out of the back of my mind. Enjoy — more are coming.

 

 Public Enemy - Bring The Noise [3:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hot Water Music - Free Radio Gainesville [2:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough [2:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jimmy Eat World - Your New Aesthetic [2:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Public Enemy’s second record was titled It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, but the millions had more to do with sales than anything.
Hot Water Music was an unstoppable force of nature and I’m terribly sad that they broke up. Awesome records like No Division make the pain subside.
The Alkaline Trio might not be quite what they used to be, but they’re awesome…like their record Good Mourning.
Jimmy Eat World put out an album called Clarity that was surprisingly cool. Then they got less cool.

Pat entries Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World, mix tapes, pop rock, Public Enemy, punk rock, rap